The Sassanids (Empire Divided) Melee Ship

Assault Hexeres - Immortal Infantry

As centuries passed, naval tactics and needs changed across the Mediterranean. There was a move towards larger ships, partly as an expression of national or dynastic power: the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt were particularly fond of large ships to show their wealth and influence in a physical way. These 'polyremes', a term meaning many oared, were not suitable for ramming work in battle. In practice many of them had no more oars than smaller ships; what they had were more rowers per oar than smaller ships. A Roman hexareme or Greek hexeres would have a couple of banks of oars with three men per oar, and appear to be an over-sized version of a smaller ship. Even so, thanks to being tremendously heavy and strongly constructed, they were slow moving, and hardly capable of the quick turns needed to take advantage of enemy mistakes. Instead the large ships made use of their wide decks and plentiful carrying capacities and became fighting platforms for infantry and artillery. Boarding or long-range bombardment were the methods to be used to defeat the enemy; naval warfare had come full circle in terms of fighting methods, even if ships had grown significantly.

(Immortal Infantry)
The 'Ten Thousand Immortals' were a military force of elite infantry divisions within the Achaemenid Empire, acting as both an imperial guard and an expeditionary army during the Persian conquests. They were so named for always numbering exactly ten thousand - if any man died or fell ill, he was immediately replaced; in this way the unit never 'died'. Herodotus describes them as “magnificently” equipped, glittering in gold and dressed in the finest armour. The Immortals were also afforded the best food and treatment befitting of their elite status. They famously fought at the Battle of Thermopylae, outflanking the redoubtable Spartans and ultimately securing victory. Although the unit died with the Achaemenids, it was revived much later under the Sassanids, helping to legitimise Sassanid rule as inheritors of Persian power.

Unit Name Assault Hexeres - Immortal Infantry

Main Unit Key 3c_Sas_Assault_Hexeres

Land Unit Key 3c_Sas_Immortal_Infantry

Naval Unit Key 3c_persian_six

Soldiers 160

Category Heavy Ship

Class Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost 1300

Recruitment Cost 1300

Upkeep Cost 260

Missile Damage 32

├ Missile Weapon rome_javelin_precursor

├ Projectile javelin_prec

├ Missile Damage 20

├ Missile Ap Damage 12

└ Base Reload Time 15

Accuracy 5

Range 40

Reload 0

Shots Per Minute 4

Ammunition 2

Ship Health 1281

└ Ship persian_six

Ship Speed 5

Melee Attack 40

Weapon Damage 34

├ Melee Weapon rome_celtic_hellenic_sword

├ Melee Damage Base 30

├ Melee Damage Ap 4

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Bonus vs. Large 0

├ Bonus vs Elephants 0

└ Bonus vs Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 28

Melee Defence 54

├ Base Defence 44

├ Shield tower

└ Shield Defence 10

Armour 80

├ Armour mail_improved

├ Armour Defence 45

└ Shield Armour 35

Health 55

├ Man Entity rome_infantry_heavy_fast

├ Man Health 40

└ Bonus Hit Points 15

Base Morale 55

Abilities

• Row Hard 30
  Increases speed for 30 strokes.
  Ship speed

Attributes

• Formation Attack
  The unit will try to stay in formation when in melee.
• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
• Resistant to Heat
  This unit tires less quickly in the desert.

Strengths & Weaknesses

• Very good hull strength
• Heavy crew
• Slow speed
• Strong ramming
• Very good boarding

• Very good attack
• Average defence
• Average damage but low armour penetration
• Good morale

Faction Availability
Empire Divided	The Sassanids (Empire Divided) Sassanid Pretenders (Empire Divided) Sassanid Secessionists (Empire Divided)